The Wolverine

2021 Michigan Football Preview

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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THE WOLVERINE 2021 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 115 [ D E F E N S I V E B A C K S ] previous defense, what he was asked to do." Gemon Green was one of last year's pleasant surprises, stepping in as an unex- pected starter when Ambry Thomas opted out. The 6-2, 181-pound redshirt sopho- more finished the season with 22 tackles and nine pass breakups, and while he gave up some plays, he also stepped up at other times. His length is one of the things that sets him apart, Bellamy continued. "He's got some physical attributes you love as a DBs coach," he said. "The biggest ones are his length and his speed. He's a longer guy that can run … I look at Vince next to him, and those are two long guys. "By no means am I comparing him to [longtime NFL standout] Richard Sher- man, but he gives you that type of feel. You feel his presence out there. A lot of times it may seem like he's out of position, but his length helps him recover. He needs to understand that is a strength of his, and he displayed that this spring." Size is not one of freshman Andre Sel- don's strengths, but it hasn't been a weak- ness — on the contrary, Bellamy said of the 5-8, 172-pounder. He plays with a chip on his shoulder, like he did in high school, and it's served him well. Seldon made a move late this spring and will be in line for increased duty at nickel and corner. "I followed him in high school. He's a fiery kid that loves to compete, and it doesn't matter how big you are, he's going to line up against you and show he can beat you," Bellamy said. "He's 5-8, 5-9, but plays like 6-2. "Dre finished off spring ball pretty well. He's a kid that made some noise." The same could be said of D.J. Turner (6-0, 182), who had a "phenomenal spring," Bellamy praised, as one of the biggest ris- ers. The redshirt frosh suffered a minor knee injury in the spring game but was outstanding in his time on the field, the culmination of a very productive spring. "He did some really good things," Bel- lamy continued. "He was another one that built his confidence from last year, has a re- ally good grasp of what we're doing defen- sively. He's one of those kids we talk about getting better each and every practice, and I think D.J. was the epitome of that." Three others young guys, redshirt frosh George Johnson and repeat freshmen Eamonn Dennis and Darion Green-War- ren, will all have a chance to move up the depth chart in the spring. All have different traits that give them a chance, Bellamy explained. "My guy can run," he said of the 5-10, 180-pound Dennis. "Everyone thought he was going to play receiver when he came in, but he made the move and is at a posi- tion where he's gaining valuable experi- ence. He's another that as spring ball went on, he started picking up technique and terminology, kept growing more and more. He's a kid we're very high on. "George has a really great personality, keeps everything light. He competed his butt off in spring ball and did some really good things, too, and was able to show up every day. The thing we love about George — he's a very confident football player. When you're on an island at cornerback, whether man or zone, you've got to have a high level of confidence and forget about previous plays. That's what he does. "Darion, he has some talent and made some strides this spring. He's gaining con- fidence embracing college football in the sense of getting in that weight room, domi- nating conditioning. He showed he can make some plays and can compete." All of them will get that chance again this fall after a productive spring doing what they were asked to do — get a little better each day. It will be a gradual process, Bellamy said, but they're pleased with the progress. "You either get worse or get better. Did you win the day or not?" he said. "We won most of the days in the secondary as far as us getting better, learning the scheme, getting in the right position and being able to execute. "If the kids continue to do that through the course of camp … we've got some good players. It's just about putting everything together." ❑ ROSTER No. Name Ht. Wt. Year Elig. Hometown (High School) 13 Eamonn Dennis 5-10 180 So. Fr. Worcester, Mass. (St. John's) 9 Sammy Faustin 6-2 200 Sr. So. Naples, Fla. (Naples) 4 Vincent Gray 6-2 190 Sr. So. Rochester, Mich. (Adams) 22 Gemon Green 6-2 181 Sr. So. DeSoto, Texas (DeSoto) 33 German Green 6-2 181 Sr. So. DeSoto, Texas (DeSoto) 28 Darion Green-Warren 6-0 180 So. Fr. Torrance, Calif. (Narbonne) 18 Keshaun Harris* 5-11 183 Jr. Fr. Lansing, Mich. (Waverly) 20 Brad Hawkins 6-1 218 5th Sr. Camden, N.J. (Suffield Academy [Conn.]) 30 Daxton Hill 6-0 192 Jr. So. Tulsa, Okla. (Booker T. Washington) 24 George Johnson 6-0 193 Jr. Fr. Stuart, Fla. (Martin County) 14 Quinten Johnson 5-11 200 Jr. Fr. Silver Spring, Md. (St. John's College) 35 Caden Kolesar* 5-10 196 Jr. Fr. Westlake, Ohio (St. Edward) 44 Joshua Luther* 5-9 173 Jr. Fr. Clarkston, Mich. (Clarkston) — Ja'Den McBurrows 5-10 165 Fr. Fr. Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (St. Thomas Aquinas) — Rod Moore 5-11 180 Fr. Fr. Clayton, Ohio (Northmont) 31 Jordan Morant 6-0 207 So. Fr. Parsippany, N.J. (Bergen Catholic) 6 R.J. Moten 6-0 213 So. Fr. Delran, N.J. (Delran) 7 Makari Paige 6-3 192 So. Fr. West Bloomfield, Mich. (West Bloomfield) 16 Jalen Perry 6-0 185 Jr. Fr. Dacula, Ga. (Dacula) 43 Andrew Russell* 6-2 190 Jr. Fr. Victor, N.Y. (Victor) 0 Andre Seldon 5-8 172 So. Fr. Belleville, Mich. (Belleville) 5 DJ Turner 6-0 182 Jr. Fr. Suwanee, Ga. (IMG Academy [Fla.]) * Walk-on "You either get worse or get better. Did you win the day or not? We won most of the days [during spring ball] in the secondary as far as us getting better, learning the scheme, getting in the right position and being able to execute. … We've got some good players. It's just about putting everything together." SAFETIES COACH RON BELLAMY

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